Letter from Mark Langabeer, Hastings and Rye Labour Member
The Council Elections resulted in a meltdown for the Tories, but the response of the Tory leadership is to continue on the same path. They hope that inflation will fall and they can make tax cuts prior to the election. Sunak believes that progress on his ‘five pledge’s may save him from defeat at the next general election.
What does the Council election tell us? It was a victory for Labour. Over 500 new councillors were elected. It’s the first time since 2002 that Labour have an overall majority. Both Liberals and Greens made significant gains. The media described the Labour Leadership response to the elections with a degree of elation. “Chipper” was one expression they used.
Can there be anything discovered from these results? Low turnouts, larger urban areas not voting, and local issues make it difficult to predict election outcomes at a national level. According to experts, Labour’s share of the vote was 35% and if there was a general election, Labour would form the largest Party but fall short of an overall majority.
It transpired that Starmer intends to drop the commitment to abolish student tuition fees. Billy Bragg (singer and Labour supporter) said on Question Time said that he had voted for Starmer in the leadership contest because of his ten pledges and he had expected some of them to go, but not “all of them”. Bragg’s disappointment with Starmer is an indicator of future developments.
History shows that unless the Tories can stop the squeeze on living standards, they could even lose the election. If Labour changes course and returns to the radical policies of the Corbyn era, they could win by a landslide.
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